The National Museum of African Art Library, a Branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL), is a special research collection of materials concerning the arts of Africa which not only serves the curatorial and education staff of the Museum, but also reaches out to the larger community of African art scholars, curators and students. Founded in 1971, the Library grew modestly in its first decade without benefit of a regular budget. Shortly after the Museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979, the Library became officially linked with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. From that time its mandate and audience widened, its acquisitions budget increased, and it embarked on a collection development program to enrich its holdings in keeping with the “national” library it had become. Being part of a public and a national institution, it seemed appropriate to develop the collection to match its enhanced stature.